In the case of a lost ball or one that is hit out of bounds, players are permitted to play it like a lateral hazard because it was thought to be too severe of a penalty to have to also be penalized the additional time to run back to where the original shot was played.

Aside from the normal 14-club maximum, there is no rule about how many clubs a player is allowed to bring. However, players typically carry 4–7 clubs.

The sport was believed to have been started in 1979 California when former American record holder in the mile (3:47.69 in 1982) Steve Scott ran around a golf course in 29 minutes and 33 seconds shooting a 95 with only a 3-iron.[2]

After hearing about Scott, a former ironman triathlete and teaching pro named Jay Larson became the person who many considered the top speed golfer of the 1990s. Larson once shot a 75 in 39 minutes and 9 seconds on a 6,500 course with a slope rating of 125 (using the old rules of speed golf where one could have a caddy in a cart riding out in front of you carrying your clubs and calling out distances as you approached the ball).[2]

Towards the end of the 1990s, in an effort to help promote the sport, Oregonians and speed golfers Tim Scott (a former teaching pro turned school teacher), Christopher Smith, and Jim Kosciolek (a Chicago-based lawyer) founded a company called Speed Golf International.[2]

Margaret Chodos may have been one of the oldest players of this sport, managing a hole-in-one at the age of 87, whilst racing around the golf course.

The inaugural Speed Golf World Championships were held October 20–21, 2012 at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort in Bandon, Oregon on the Old MacDonald Course (October 20) and the Bandon Dunes Course (October 21).[2][3]

Results in the Pro/Elite division were as follows for the 15 professionals competing for the $50,000 purse:[4]

There was also a group of 45 amateurs who competed in a one-day-only competition on October 21 on the Bandon Dunes Course. The amateur division featured various age groups that included 24 and under, 25–39, 40–49, and 50 and over.

A 30-minute special about the World Championships aired on CBS before the third round of the 2013 Masters.[2][5][6]

2013

It was held on October (26–27) 2013 at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort in Bandon, Oregon, on the Old MacDonald Course (October 26) and the Bandon Dunes Course (October 27).

The Eastern Speedgolf Open was held at The Foundry Golf Club in Powhatan, Virginia on June 30, 2013. Professional competitors played for a purse of $35,000. The event was preceded by A First Tee competition (9-hole par 3 course) and an amateur tournament.

The lowest score in competition was shot by Mitch Williamson of Orange in New South Wales shot a score of 77 in an incredible time of 31 minutes, giving him a Speedgolf score of 108 at the Yarra Bend Golf Club in Melbourne hosted the Australian Speedgolf Open on 29 August 2016. This was not an official Guinness World record because Guinness was not onsite to validate it as a world record.

The official Guinness record was shot by professional Christopher Smith at the Chicago Speedgolf Classic at Jackson Park Golf Course on October 16, 2005. Smith shot 65 in just 44:06 while carrying six clubs for a speed golf score of 109:06.[1][2][9]

Speed golf is sometimes contrasted with Cross-country BigBall, in which players use soccer balls and baseball bats to reach a goal. Because the course and goals are chosen by the participants, Cross-country BigBall etiquette varies depending on whether the theater is a wooded or residential area.[10] Both sports require substantial physical stamina.

Speed disc golf is similar in concept and rules to speed golf.

The biathlon (skiing and shooting a rifle) is also sometimes compared to speed golf.